A terminal dedicated for inputting information relating to an order from a food menu is used in a restaurant and the like. The terminal is generally a portable type and is called as a handy terminal. The handy terminal includes, for example, a main body having a display and an openable cover coupled to the main body via a hinge. Various operation keys for an order entry job are exposed if the cover is open. In some handy terminal, the operation keys for the order entry job are provided on a side surface of the main body.
The handy terminal is designed generally for a right-handed person. Specifically, such a handy terminal is designed such that the cover is open toward the right direction in a state in which the main body is held by the left hand. The operation keys on the side surface of the main body are provided at a position at which the operation keys can be operated by the thumb of the left hand.
There is a handy terminal that can be used in a state in which the top and the bottom of the handy terminal are reversed in order to allow a left-handed operator to use the handy terminal. In such a handy terminal, the operation keys are provided at a center in the longitudinal direction of the side surface or operation keys for right-handedness and left-handedness are provided at positions apart from each other so that an operator can operate the operation keys on the side surface of the main body irrespective of a dominant hand.
However, in an arrangement in which the operation keys are provided at the center in the longitudinal direction, if the operator's thumb is on an area in which the operation keys are provided, the operator may need to hold a portion of a half or less length of the main body in the longitudinal direction thereof to hold the main body. Therefore, the operator may need to operate the handy terminal in an unstable state. In an arrangement in which the operation keys for right-handedness and left-handedness are individually provided, the operation keys for one of right-handedness and left-handedness may be unnecessary in an actual use. Therefore, such a dual arrangement is not cost-efficient.
On the other hand, recently, a general-purpose portable electronic device such as a smartphone in which an application software for the order entry job is installed may be used as the handy terminal. In this case, operation is received only through a touch panel. Moreover, a display of the portable electronic device is smaller than that of the known handy terminal. The number of keys displayable on the display may be limited compared with the known handy terminal. Therefore, menus may be displayed in multiple layers. Screens may be often switched and thus operation may be complicated compared with the known handy terminal. As the result, a time required for servicing a customer tends to be long.